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Bothy Shelter Gear
Review by UK Climbing,com
For the uninitiated,
a kisu/bothy bag is basically a simple pu waterproofed nylon tent, open
at the bottom, with a draw cord round the base. In use, the people inside
become the tent poles, pulling in the draw cord and sitting on the skirt
which is formed inside. They have been around a long time, the larger
versions gaining popularity with rescue teams and instructors, but the
average mountaineer will probably go for the 1-3 man size.
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Group Survival
Shelters. Manufactured by JDS Components £24 - £34 reviewed
by Jonathan Lagoe www.ukclimbing.com
For many winter
mountaineers and ski tourers, group survival shelters, aka kisus,
or bothy bags probably fall into the category of gear that you didn’t
realise you needed. However, once tried, they are at item which
you are likely to put at the top of your winter packing list.
As a piece of winter emergency kit, they have several advantages
over a bivi-bag. The most immediately noticeable is that 2 or more
peoples’ body heat makes for a surprisingly warm environment
in which to regroup, sit out the night, or just eat your butties.
I have used these on Arctic ski treks and found that two of us could
comfortably eat lunch, gloves off, with a minus 10 blizzard blowing
outside. Other plus points are that you can keep your crampons on,
the sitting position is practical and good for morale and one bothy
bag is lighter than two bivi-bags.
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The JDS Components
versions of the kisu/bothy bag meet the main criteria of simplicity
and robustness and have the kind of cheery yellow colour that fools you
into thinking the weather has cleared up outside. They incorporate all
of the basic features you need; a couple of Velcro-sealable vents, integral
stuff sac and draw cord. They also have loop tabs at the corners, which
opens up more options below the tree line.
JDS bags are currently in use with a number of mountain rescue
teams and mountain guides. They come in three sizes and are available
direct from the manufacturer.
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